On June 27, 2024, GEN Bangladesh organized the 1st episode of webinar titled "Is Sustainability a Hurdle? Solution for young startups" The webinar was broadcast live on GEN Bangladesh's Facebook page, LinkedIn page, and YouTube channel. The event was moderated by K M Hasan, Managing Director of GEN Bangladesh, with the keynote speaker Mr. A.K.M Fahim Mashroor, Founder and CEO of Bdjobs.com.
The Full Episode Recorded Version:
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Key Topics of the Discussion:
Sustainability and Challenges for Young Entrepreneurs:
Mr. Fahim Mashroor highlighted in his speech, "Sustainability is a crucial topic. Our country's startup ecosystem is often heavily focused on valuation and growth, but sustainability is more important because many startups fail to survive."
Experience in Achieving Sustainability:
Sharing his personal experience, Mr. Fahim Mashroor said, "When we started Bdjobs.com, our main focus was to keep costs low. We didn't have an office for the first few years and worked from a room in our home because we knew revenue was very low. Our company might employ around 300 people, of which perhaps 80% are ordinary or sometimes below average. But 10% of highly skilled people are very important."
Advice for Young Entrepreneurs:
Mr. Fahim Mashroor advised young entrepreneurs, "To achieve sustainability, you need to keep costs low. Spending is easy, but you have to see how much revenue you're generating against your expenses. The core of business is income and expenditure. When you hire someone, you need to see how much revenue they can bring in."
Future Advice for Entrepreneurs:
He further mentioned, "AI is a new innovative technology. AI will create many new opportunities. I would tell young people to learn about new AI technologies, study them, and keep their eyes and ears open. The coming days will be very different."
Towards the end of the webinar, Mr. Fahim Mashroor said, "Sustainability is always a challenge. To manage it, patience and credibility are needed. You have to do business, make a profit, and achieve sustainability from that profit."
The webinar's moderator, Mr. K M Hasan, stated, "GEN Bangladesh aims to connect young entrepreneurs with investors and experts, and this webinar was part of that mission. Next Thursday, GEN Bangladesh will organize another webinar with a new guest."